Posted on 04/23/2005 3:05:17 PM PDT by Mount Athos
Former European Commission president Romano Prodi warns that a French rejection of the proposed European Union constitution in the forthcoming referendum would mean "the fall of Europe".
If France votes "no" on May 29, he told the Sunday paper Journal du Dimanche, it would be far more than a case of the country being "the black sheep" of Europe, using an expression employed by French President Jacques Chirac.
"There will be no more Europe," Prodi, now leader of the Italian centre-left opposition to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, said.
"We will go through a great period of crisis. The problem will not only be a catastrophe for France, but the fall of Europe.
"A 'no' would be catastrophic for economic and social Europe, not only political Europe" he added. "And that is the whole contradiction: everyone knows very well that there is no Europe without France, yet France does not realize the chance it has with Europe.
"It should think, because it would be very weak on its own," Prodi said.
"It is impossible for me to imagine a French 'no'. I have always thought of France as a pillar of Europe.
"The constitution is not perfect but it is the best one possible at the moment, and certainly a step in the direction of social and political integration, a step towards the model France has always defended and promoted."
A string of recent opinion polls has suggested that French voters will reject -- possibly by a large majority -- the constitution, although both major parties of the right and the chief leftwing group support a "yes" vote.
Other countries will vote No.
In Netherlands the No vote is leading, 52%, according to the latest poll:
(Machine translation, touched by me):
A survey gives for the first time the "no" to the European Constitution winning in Netherlands. 52 % of the people decided to vote intend to reject the constitutional Treaty at the time of the referendum envisaged on June 1.
http://www.swissinfo.org/sfr/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5714584&cKey=1114286772000
Yes, the French were responsible for the fall of Europe at the beginning of both WWI and WWII. This time we should all hope that French are again responsible for the fall of Europe!
Not to worry, Chirac already knows what he will report as the final, official talley for the French vote approving the European Constitution. You don't think Chirac would allow the golden goose that will make him and his relatives rich beyond imagination to be harmed, do you?
Maroons, they don't learn, Soviet Union didn't work, why are they trying again?
It may be losing by a small margin but I think there is an attempt to scare voters of all countries into a "yes" vote.
Even the current US Constitution could not have gotten enough votes for ratification in 1790 without the addition of the Bill of Rights.
Sometimes it's necessary to go back to the ol'drawing board and try it again.
"Kleptocrat" is the most apt term I have ever heard for these unrepresentative power thieves. Congratulations to you for coining the "Word of the Year" in my opinion.
Well, it wouldn't smell the same, that's for sure.
Where will it land?
In WWII they got beat fair and square, but the fellows in the Maginot Line held out all the way to the end.
In Viet Nam Eisenhower refused to assist them by bombing the Commies at Bien Dien Phu. Eisenhower led the US to side with the Egyptians against the French, British and Israelis at Suez.
I think your complaint is a much more specific one than you claim ~ it's not that the French are, in general, cheese eating surrender monkeys ~ instead, they were against us upsetting their little revenue deal with Saddam Hussein.
BTW, once you develop diabetes you will learn to appreciate the 800 different kinds of cheese developed by the French ~ you'll be eating a lot of it! (ROTFLMAO).
Actually might mean the saving of Europe.
Europe rising? Sounds like a yeast infection.
This is a good and insightful observation -- but the EU goes beyond socialism, it reaches the level of an oppressive, unrepresentative bureaucracy. One that subverts sovereignty. I think the socialism of the EU is really terrible, but I think the bureaucracy that undermines the sovereignty of these countries is just as pernicious. Many of the people voting on the constitution don't understand that their countries will really just be provinces of the EU subject to the whims of calluous and PC bureaucrats.
France is a small country with a giant ego and no redeeming qualities.
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